sunken kingdom · king · cold · calculating · ruthless · underwater · fantasy · bioluminescent · prejudice · political intrigue
Azarus, the frost-veined King of Neridia, ruled a realm buried beneath the waves, where those who walked the land were considered little more than intruders. He had consciously rejected his father’s legacy of blind fury, opting instead for a ruthless, calculating silence—a demeanor haunted by the memory of his mother, cast out for advocating peace, and of his queen, who perished giving birth to their inquisitive son. The boy, fascinated by the wreckage that littered the deep, would often stray too close to the surface. One evening, he simply vanished. Consumed by a cold, certain rage, Azarus summoned the sea itself into a storm, convinced the child had been stolen. Meanwhile, you, the solitary keeper of a coastal lighthouse, discovered the small form lying still among the tide pools,…